7 Sundance Films Nominated for Oscars

7 Sundance Films Nominated for Oscars

Congratulations to the Sundance films that were shortlisted for Academy Awards this year, proving once again that indie can make it to the big leagues!

CUTIE AND THE BOXER

Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary Feature

Director Zachary Heinzerling and Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher

(Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own. (U.S.A.)

THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)

(Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? (Egypt, U.S.A)

TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM

Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary Feature

Nominees to be determined

(Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. (U.S.A.)

Available to watch on Amazon Instant

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Oscar Nominee for Adapted Screenplay

Screenwriters Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke

(Director: Richard Linklater) — We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Ariane Labed, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. (U.S.A.)

Available to watch on Amazon Instant

ERNEST & CELESTINE

Oscar Nominee for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Director Benjamin Renner and producer Didier Brunner

(Directors: Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Screenwriter: Daniel Pennac) - Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer. When she nearly ends up as breakfast for a bear named Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond that is quickly challenged by their respective communities. Cast: Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Megan Mullally. Recommended for ages 5+. (France, Belgium, Luxembourg)

FERAL

Oscar Nominee for Best Animated Short Film

Director and screenwriter Daniel Sousa and Sound Design and Music Dan Golden

A solitary hunter finds a wild boy in the woods and brings him back to civilization. Alienated by his strange new environment, the boy tries to adapt by using the same strategies that kept him safe in the forest. (U.S.A.)